Tag: Octopus

4356. M32 Cycle path (172)

I am always slightly surprised that anyone would paint this particular spot; the wall is uneven and on a bit of a corner, but it is popular and has quite a high turnover. Maybe it is accepted that nothing here will last too long, whereas some adjacent walls are more sought after, and therefore inclined to have more longevity, especially with some of the more respected artists in Bristol painting them.

Bogat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022
Bogat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022

Bogat and Asre (who goes by the name @runaway_joey on Instagram) paint alongside each other quite often, and judging from the shout-outs are obviously good friends. On the left is an unusual octopus piece spelling out BOG from Bogat, which is a little different from the long faces he normally paints.

Asre, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022
Asre, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022

Asre on the other hand gives us exactly what you’d expect, with one of his trademark faces wearing a hat, and in this one also smoking a joint. The two artists have used the space well and are becoming part of the furniture after bursting onto the scene earlier this year.

Bogat and Asre, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022
Bogat and Asre, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022

4244. Dean Lane skate park (462)

I met Enn Kay last week under Brunel Way down by the river for the first time, and what an absolute pleasure it was too. He was painting with his ‘brother’ at the time, and I wasn’t sure whether that meant his ‘brother’ or his actual brother – I am not really up with contemporary slang, being such an oldie.

Enn Kay, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022
Enn Kay, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022

Enn Kay has been absolutely smashing it lately, which is no small feat, given that he only started painting walls at the back end of last year. This is one of his octopus monsters, of which there are several knocking around. Beautifully painted and full of character, these pieces add so much to the vast array of styles and subjects in Bristol.

4216. Brunel Way (138)

With this post I am going to reacquaint you with relative newcomer to Bristol Enn Kay, and the second of his recent Octopus monster pieces. Although I haven’t yet met the artist, I understand that he has only been painting walls since December last year. That is incredible when you think about it, as it can take years to reach this standard. Enn Kay is an illustrator who has been drawing his characters for a while, so he is familiar with them, but upscaling to spray paint and walls is no mean feat, and he has achieved it very well indeed.

Enn Kay, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2022
Enn Kay, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2022

The octopus-monster is set on a backdrop of stylised clouds, already introducing another layer of sophistication and his initials to the left are nicely done too. I love the mouth and teeth with the zig-zag running through it. There are many cartoon signature illustration techniques in this piece and Enn Kay has executed them really well. Look forward to more from the artist, I think he has a hunger for spray painting.

4209. Dean Lane skate park (457)

Allow me to introduce you to Enn Kay, an artist who has been decorating walls and columns in South Bristol for a few months, and who is very, very busy indeed. This post is likely to be the first of many from this monster character artist.

Enn Kay, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022
Enn Kay, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022

This ‘octopus’ monster piece is one of Enn Kay’s recent offerings, but I have pictures of pieces going back a few months. I am guessing that the artist has recently moved to Bristol and is loving the opportunities to spray. The monster is clean and neatly done with some great cartoon characteristics. I am looking forward to Enn Kay developing and adding more depth to his characters. It is great to welcome yet another artist to the pages of Natural Adventures.

3813. Gerrish Avenue

Three dancing octopus girls seems to be what is going on in this superb mural from Sussanah Polley who appears to have moved from Western Australia to the fine city of Bristol, and that is great news for us. This mural, ‘naked octopus party’ is one of a few adorning pubs around Bristol, and I need to seek out some of the others.

Susannah Pooley, Gerrish Avenue, Bristol, July 2021
Susannah Pooley, Gerrish Avenue, Bristol, July 2021

Sussanah Pooley’s pop surrealism art is a perfect fit for Bristol’s street art scene, combining originality and creativity with perfect execution. Any piece of art with naked ladies and octopi gets my vote for sure. I found this piece by accident, which was very lucky, but will try to be a little more deliberate in future. A truly wonderful piece and I look forward to finding more.

3506. Purdown HAA Battery (19)

Because I don’t get to photograph up at Purdown Battery very often, I am not too sure whether this is a recent or an old piece by Rosalita, but either way it is an absolute cracker. This wall is tucked away a bit and takes a little bit of finding, so I don’t imagine that very many people have seen it, which in one way is a bit of a shame, but in another way it is how some artists like to do things.

Rosalita, Purdown, Bristol, February 2021
Rosalita, Purdown, Bristol, February 2021

The subject of the piece is a mermaid, whose hair is made up of octopus tentacles, but instead of looking rather disgusting as in the Bill Nighy portrayal of Davey Jones from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, her hair is beautiful. This is an outstanding piece and another example of great work coming from Rosalita at the moment.

2692. St Werburghs tunnel (130)

Wow, I love it when Sled One just pitches up unannounced and then modestly produces his magic like he did in this most recent example in St Werburghs tunnel. The piece features an octopus (what is it about street art and octopi?) sporting a bucket hat and fondly embracing an umbrella, possibly a little too fondly.

Sled One, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
Sled One, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020

There is a lot of perspective and movement in the piece, something that Sled One does so well, and he is a master at creating textures and depth with the use of shading. This is yet another crazy (in a good way) piece from the artist, and made all the more remarkable by the fact that he had a fractured wrist and ankle at the time of painting this, a week or so ago. Just brilliant.

1955. Upfest 2018 (119)

I am really taken with this piece and could look at it all day, there is something I find most engaging about it…perhaps it sings to the biologist in me. The artist Decimart is from Jerez de la Frontera in Spain and appears to travel around for his work.

Decimart, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Decimart, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I am most pleased that I managed to get pictures of the piece at different stages of its development, but am sorry that I missed out on meeting the artist himself. This was a particularly tricky spot to work in, especially on the Saturday, because of the high winds that funneled through this space. In fact some of the boards, including this one, had to be secured more firmly  in place or they would have blown away.

Decimart, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Decimart, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

In spite of the wind and rain, Decimart has managed to produce one of my favourite pieces of the festival. I would dearly love to see him make a return in the future.

Decimart, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Decimart, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

1840. Upfest 2018 (81)

It wasn’t until Upfest this year that I discovered that I already knew The Hass, but under another name (there is a clue in the piece itself). It would seem that he has two street personas, one for his profession as a designer, and the other for recreation. I can tell you now that all of his work under whatever name is brilliant, and this piece is emblematic of that.

The Hass, Upfest, Bristol, October 2018
The Hass, Upfest, Bristol, October 2018

I am always going to favour an underwater scene and this one takes some beating. It really creates the impression of being under the sea, with the skylight creating a small shimmer at the top of the piece. There is a great story here, although it rather defeats me…the diver’s face looks like a carved pumpkin, but might be a skull.

The Hass, Upfest, Bristol, October 2018
The Hass, Upfest, Bristol, October 2018

There is a ship in a bottle that morphs into the diver’s helmet and octopus tentacles all over the place. Another nice touch are the goofy three-eyed fish from The Simpsons that also make it into Louis Masai’s coral reef piece from this year’s festival. There is another The Hass piece just off Park Street that I must photograph when I get a chance.

1710. Upfest 2018 (35)

Max ‘syther’ Oughton is no stranger to Upfest, and indeed I wrote a short post covering his work from Upfest 2017. This artist, from East Anglia, is making a niche for himself with animal studies and illustration, so the Upfest programme notes tell us and this piece certainly covers that territory with a seabird entangled in the tentacles of an octopus.

Max Syther, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Max Syther, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

The colour selections which are calming and serene betray the rather brutal scene which is a skilfully executed juxtaposition. Max Oughton has a great eye for the natural world, and it is great to be able to see his work for two years running.

Max Syther, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Max Syther, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

 

I think that Max was just tidying up after finishing the piece when I took this last picture…a celebratory fag hanging out of his mouth.